WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Ryan Garbutt moved to Winnipeg the year the original Jets flew away. Cody Eakin, who was born here, was 5 when the team left.

So the two Stars forwards know how much this city appreciates its new hockey team. When the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg in 2011 to fill the void created by the Jets’ move to Phoenix in 1996, the sky became a little bluer, the air a little crisper.

“They love their hockey team, there’s no doubt about that,” said Garbutt, who summers in Winnipeg. “It’s really an incredible story when you see how they have responded to getting hockey back. It’s fun to be back.”

The MTS Centre will be rocking Friday night. It’s one of the NHL’s loudest buildings, and fans let the opposition know as soon as they skate onto the ice that the experience won’t be easy. Garbutt and Eakin realize that even though they are favorite sons of Winnipeg, that doesn’t matter when they’re wearing the wrong colors.

“The fans are really into it, and you can feel it,” Garbutt said. “You have to play it like any other game, but it’s a pretty unique experience.”

Garbutt and Eakin train in Winnipeg in the off-season with a large group of NHL players who live here. Both seem to have a little of the Winnipeg spirit in their blood, having grown up on outdoor rinks and learned the game with a certain edge.

Both also have fathers who played hockey, and that adds to the persona. Stars coach Lindy Ruff played on the Lethbridge Broncos with Gord Garbutt and Grant Eakin, and said he’s heard plenty about the aura of Winnipeg.

“I called ’em both in the summer, and I think I talked more to the dads than I did the players,” he joked.

Garbutt, who was born in Edmonton and considered himself an Oilers fan growing up even after moving to Winnipeg, was undrafted out of Brown University and had to fight his way to get a free-agent contract with the Stars.

“He pushes the pace, and he gives you speed down the lineup,” Ruff said. “He’s been very consistent, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

Eakin is more of a skilled player and has moved up to the second line under the new coach. He was a high-end scorer in junior hockey, and he’s trying to deliver that same kind of skill on a line with Ray Whitney and Alex Chiasson.

“I played with Cody down in [the AHL], so we know each other pretty well,” Chiasson said. “He sees the game so well, and he knows when to get you the puck. He’s a really smart player.”

Eakin had a rough opening game, something Ruff said might have been caused by the jitters. If that’s the case, then Friday’s game should test his calm even more.

“I’ve seen the effect up there in the summer,” Eakin said of the change in Winnipeg. “It’s amazing how the city gets behind that team.”

A couple of Stars played with the Atlanta franchise before it moved to Winnipeg. Kari Lehtonen was drafted second overall by the Thrashers in 2002, and Rich Pevereley also had several good seasons with the team. Both will be playing against some old friends in a battle that now pits Central Division rivals.

“There are a lot of guys left over, and they’ve made the transition very well,” Peverley said. “Plus, they have that home-ice advantage; they always play well at home.”

Asked if that makes the departure from Atlanta any easier, Peverley hesitated.

“Well, we enjoyed ourselves in Atlanta, and nobody wanted the team to move,” he said. “But we didn’t sell out a lot in Atlanta, and I know hockey players like to play in front of big crowds. That’s no knock on Atlanta, but they’ve been a really good fit there.”